Camping Tips for Dummies
by Shadow of the Forgotten
Summary: Ichigo and the gang are going camping. What could possibly go wrong...besides everything.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Bleach or anything affiliated with said show.

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

* * *

Yawning, Ichigo stretched and flung his covers off the bed. Sitting up, he placed his feet on the floor and yawned again. "Damn, I'm tired." He said, stifling yet another yawn as he stood up and headed to his closet. Knocking on the door, he jumped when it was suddenly thrown open. "Crap, Rukia don't do that! Do you want to give me a heart attack?"

"Stop complaining and get ready." Rukia said as she jumped out of her closet. "Everyone's going to be here soon."

"Hah, Ichigo's always late." A small stuffed lion creature said. "I say we leave without him. What do you say Rukia?" With hearts in his eyes he ran towards her with outstretched arms, only to run into her foot and be ground into the floor.

"Who said _you_ were coming Kon?" Rukia asked as she stomped on him again.

"Ichigo!" Kon whined. "You can't leave me here. What will you do with your body if a Hollow shows up?" Smirking since he figured he'd won, Kon applauded his brilliance.

"First of all, we're going to the woods so I doubt any Hollows will show up." Ichigo said. "And secondly, I can just leave my body with Chad and Inoue. Problem solved, and you still stay here."

"That's not fair!" Kon cried to Rukia, anime style tears pouring down his face. "I promise I'll behave."

Picking the animal up, Rukia cuddled him. "Ok, as long as you don't cause any problems you can come." Ichigo looked like he was going to object and Rukia narrowed her eyes at him. "He's coming and that's final." With the matter closed, she put Kon down and grabbed her bags from under her bed. "Now hurry up so you can get some breakfast before we leave. I'll meet you downstairs." Opening the door, she disappeared down the hallway.

Ichigo opened his mouth to protest, but Rukia was already gone so he settled for glaring at Kon instead. "You got lucky this time, but you'd better not do anything stupid." He said as he pulled out some clothes and started to strip. "I have no problem leaving you out there."

Gulping, Kon took a breath and crossed his arms. "You won't be able to." He said cockily. "My Rukia will protect me."

"The only reason she agreed to let you come is because you turned on the waterworks." Ichigo said as he pulled on his jeans. "You can't do that if you're not around."

Eyes widening, Kon flew out of the room screaming Rukia's name.

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo haphazardly straightened his bed before grabbing his pack and heading downstairs. Dropping his bag by the door, he walked into the kitchen and immediately had to dodge a flying bowl. "What the he-." He started to say, but never got to finish because Kon was suddenly launched at his face.

"Oh, Ichigo." Rukia said calmly as she lowered her leg to the ground. "About time you got down here you lazy ass." Putting some rice into a clean bowl she sat down and proceeded to eat.

Tossing Kon to the floor, Ichigo shook his head and grabbed some food as well. "I guess that means he's staying here then?" He asked. When Rukia nodded, Kon opened his mouth to protest and Ichigo's foot shot out on instinct and launched him across the room.

Kon stood up and placed his 'hands' on his hips. "How dare yo-." Just then the front door was kicked open and he found himself trampled by several pairs of feet.

"Yo Rukia, Ichigo!" Renji said as he joined the two at the table. "You all ready for the camping trip?"

"Yep, I've got everything I need according to this book." Rukia said as she held up a yellow and black book entitled 'Camping for Dummies'.

Byakuya, who had remained quiet since he followed Renji in, rolled his eyes at his sister as she opened her book and showed it to Renji.

Ichigo watched the whole display with a slightly puzzled look on his face until everything finally sunk in. "Wait a sec!" He said, jumping up quickly. "Who the hell invited you two?!"

Raising an eyebrow, Byakuya snorted and turned his head. He did not have to explain himself to a 'substitute'.

Rolling his eyes at the proud captain, Ichigo turned to Renji and waited for his answer only to find his nose buried in Rukia's book.

"Wow, I had no idea that there was so much involved in camping." Renji said in awe as he skimmed the page. Sensing a murderous intent, he looked up to see a very pissed off Ichigo. "What's up?" He asked as he flipped another page.

"Why are you guys here?" Ichigo asked again. "…wait, how do you even know about this trip?"

"I told them." Rukia said as she pointed out another important detail to Renji. "And Renji thought it sounded fun." Looking up she glanced at her brother. "But I don't know why Byakuya's here."

"Oh, he said he was bored so I invited him to come with us." Renji said with a shrug as he swiped Ichigo's toast. Then as an afterthought he added. "Though I'm really surprised he agreed."

Grabbing his food back, Ichigo quickly scarfed it down. Reaching for his chopsticks, he paused and looked up. "Um, do you guys even know what camping is?"

Byakuya gave him a look that clearly stated it was beneath him to answer and walked outside.

"I didn't know you needed something called a 'tent' and a 'sleeping bag'." Renji said from his spot next to Rukia, completely ignoring Ichigo. "And what are these things called 'matches' for?"

Slapping his forehead, Ichigo groaned. "This is going to be the camping trip from hell, I just know it."

Suddenly his front door opened up again and Chad, Inoue and Ishida walked in.

"Oh Renji, you're here too." Inoue said as she walked over to the table. "I didn't know you and Byakuya were coming with us."

"Neither did I." Ichigo muttered under his breath. "Of course I didn't know Ishida was coming either."

"We ran into him on the way here and Inoue insisted we invite him." Chad said from his position near the door.

"Whatever." Ichigo said as he grabbed his bag. "Come on, let's get going." Walking outside, he headed towards the driver's seat of the van they'd rented for the trip and threw his bag in the back. Unfortunately, it managed to hit Byakuya in the face. "…uh, sorry." Ichigo said with a gulp as he reached for the door handle.

Narrowing his eyes, Byakuya was reaching for his zanpakuto when the side door was thrown open and people began piling in.

"We're sitting back here." Rukia said as she pulled Inoue into the back seat with her.

Meanwhile, Ishida was practically shoved into the seat next to Byakuya and Chad sat down next to him.

Looking at the seating arrangements, Ichigo was suddenly 'very' glad he was driving on this trip. At least until Renji climbed into the passenger seat.

"This is great, not only do I get to sit in the front, but apparently that makes me the 'navigator'." Renji said happily. "So, uh…what exactly does that mean?"

Groaning, Ichigo dropped his head to the steering wheel. "Here." He said as he handed over a stack of papers. "The top sheet is the directions, my dad wrote them so be careful, and the packet is called a map. You use the directions to find the best route on the map and then tell me where to go."

Looking at the papers in his hand, Renji smirked. "So I get to be your boss and give you orders. Cool, let's get going!"

Eyebrow twitching, Ichigo started up the van and checked to make sure everyone was ready before pulling up to the street and stopping.

When the van didn't move for over a minute, Renji hit the dashboard with his hand. "As your boss I demand you drive, _now_." Flames began to erupt behind Ichigo and Renji paled slightly.

"Well, _boss_, I'll drive as soon as you get off your ass and tell me where we're going!" Ichigo practically screamed.

All conversation in the van ceased as five pairs of eyes suddenly focused on the two in the front seat.

Then Byakuya, Rukia and Inoue all began talking at once.

"You're not nearly strong enough to be his _boss_, cease your pathetic illusions."

"Would you two idiots get your asses in gear! We're wasting time!"

"Is everything ok?"

"Alright, shut up! We're leaving now!" Ichigo yelled. "Renji, which way?"

Renji, who was currently cowering in his seat, just pointed to the left.

Nodding, Ichigo pulled onto the street and they headed out.

ooooo

"Why aren't we there yet?" Ichigo asked out loud. "I don't remember it being this far away." Glancing over at his navigator, Ichigo rolled his eyes when he saw him dozing off. Grabbing the map from Renji's hands, he promptly whacked the tattooed man upside the head with it. "Wake the hell up!"

Renji's eyes flew open and he shot up, forgetting he was currently sitting in a car, and hit his head on the windshield. "What the hell was that for?!" He cried as he nursed his now bruised head.

"No falling asleep on the job." Ichigo retorted as he tossed the map back into Renji's lap. "Now, where the hell are we?"

Looking at the map, Renji shrugged. "No clue." He replied. "I don't know how to read these things."

Ichigo froze as the information sunk in. "YOU WHAT?!" He screamed. "You mean all this time I've been following directions that you made up?"

Backing as far away from the substitute shinigami as possible, Renji gulped. "More like guessed, but yeah." He said quietly. Renji didn't have any time to react as Ichigo flew across the seat at him. The van began to swerve as Ichigo proceeded to strangle the man beside him.

"I'm going to kill you!" Ichigo roared as his gripped tightened. But before he could finish Renji off, he was hit upside the head with the hilt of a zanpakuto. "Who the hell just did that?!" He asked, turning his head towards the back of the car.

"I did." Rukia said. "And I'll do it again if you don't turn around and start driving. You're going to kill us all."

Ichigo's eyes widened as he quickly sat back in his seat and regained control of the vehicle. Taking a deep breath, he pulled off to the side of the road and killed the engine. "Now, where was I." He said as his eyes narrowed and he faced Renji once again.

Renji gulped, but before Ichigo could commence his murder, Byakuya spoke up. "As fascinating as it is to watch you two idiots make fools of yourselves, perhaps we should continue if we ever wish to arrive at the…" He paused, searching for the right word. "…campsite."

"As much as I hate to agree with a shinigami, he's right." Ishida said from his place in the back. "We don't want to spend our entire trip in the car."

"Whatever." Ichigo said as he pulled the map in front of him. "Now let's see, we're here so we need to head down I-192…" He muttered to himself as he tried to figure out a route. Finally, after several minutes, Ichigo tossed the map at Renji and started back up the van. "Alright, I know where I'm going now." He said as he pulled back out onto the road.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Bleach or anything affiliated with said show.

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

* * *

Two hours later they had finally arrived. Pulling the van into the small gravel parking space, Ichigo shut the engine off and turned around to face the back. "Ok everybody, we're here." Opening his door, he climbed out of the car and stretched, while the rest of his crew piled out as well. Before anyone had the chance to do anything, Ichigo pulled open the back of the van and started unloading all their things. "Come on you guys." He said as he tossed the bags on the ground. "We need to get this stuff set up."

"Ok." Ishida said as he grabbed one of the tents. "I'll set this one up over here."

"I'll help." Inoue said, walking over to join him.

Nodding, Ishida pulled open the bag and dumped out the contents. Placing the poles out of the way, he handed one end of the tent to Inoue and began to unroll it.

While Ishida and Inoue worked on setting up the large tent, Ichigo tossed the smaller one to Chad. "Hey Chad, set this up will ya." Seeing him nod, Ichigo turned to Renji. "And you can help him." He said sternly.

Not wanting to get into yet another fight, Renji nodded and quickly went over to help.

"What can I do?" Rukia asked as she started examining an odd red box-like object.

"Well since you're already playing with it, why don't you set up the stove over there." Ichigo said, pointing to a flat area away from the tents.

"Sure, I can do that." Rukia said as she picked up the box and walked away. After taking a few steps, she paused suddenly. "…um, how exactly do I do that?"

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo shook his head. "That picture on the front that you were staring at shows you how to set it up." He said. "Just pop out the legs and you're done."

"Ah, so that's what those images are for." Rukia mumbled, eyeing the picture intently.

Ichigo shook his head and started setting up the chairs when Chad walked up to him. "What's up, are you finished already?" He asked curiously as he popped the last seat open.

"About that, the tent doesn't have any poles." Chad replied slowly. "I went through everything, but the poles aren't there."

"You have got to be kidding me." Ichigo practically growled. "My dad is so dead when I get back. He told me the tents had everything when he put them away so I didn't bother to check, that'll teach me for trusting that idiot."

"So what do you want me to do?" Chad asked.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo exhaled slowly to calm down. "Don't worry about it, we'll just throw the seats down in the van and the girls can sleep in there tonight. It's not that big of a deal." When Chad nodded and went to pick up the small tent, Ichigo headed towards the van to get it ready.

A few minutes later Inoue and Ishida finished putting up their tent and walked over to the van to start moving the bags. "Why are you pulling out the seats?" Ishida asked curiously as he watched Ichigo struggled to remove a clamp. "I thought we were sleeping in the tents."

"We are, but the smaller tent doesn't have any poles so the girls are going to sleep in here tonight." Ichigo replied. "I hope you don't mind Inoue."

"Oh, I can sleep fine anywhere so I don't care." Inoue said cheerfully.

"That's good." Ichigo said. "Now would you mind going over and helping Rukia with the stove, it looks like she's having some problems. And take these dishes over there when you go please."

Picking up the small box of dishes, Inoue smiled. "Sure." She said as she walked off.

"Would you like some help?" Ishida asked when Ichigo went back to struggling with the seats. Just then the clamp snapped open and the seats released. "Never mind, it looks like you're almost finished here so I think I'll head out and start collecting firewood." Turning around, he disappeared into the woods.

"You could've at least helped me pull it out." Ichigo muttered as he struggled to remove the heavy seat. Pushing it out the back, he wiped his brow and climbed back in to drop the front seats forwards. When he was finished, Ichigo placed Rukia and Inoue's bags back inside the van and closed the door. "Ok, next I need to deal with the food." He told himself.

"Talking to yourself is a sure sign that you're crazy." Byakuya stated from his seat near a fallen tree. "Though I already knew that."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like you never talk to yourself." He mumbled under his breath. Picking up the bags of food, he ignored the smirk Byakuya was giving him and headed over to where the stove was set up. "So where are Chad and Renji?" He asked, setting down the bags of food.

"They're setting up the sleeping bags inside the tent." Rukia replied as she finished screwing in the propane bottle. "Inoue told me we'd be sleeping in the van, is that true?"

"Yeah, sorry about that." Ichigo said as he scratched his head sheepishly.

Rukia simply shrugged. "Whatever, it doesn't really matter to me." She said.

"That's go-." Ichigo began to say before Ishida suddenly cut him off.

"I'm bleeding!" Ishida cried as he came running back out of the woods. "Where's the first aid kit?!"

"It should be in a black bag in the back of the van." Ichigo said, pointing to the back of the vehicle as Inoue and Rukia rushed over to examine the wound. "I'll go get it."

"Oh no!" Inoue said while Rukia held up his bleeding finger. "That looks horrible!"

"It's barely a scratch." Byakuya snorted from his seat a few feet away. "You Quincy are really pathetic."

Before Ishida could comment, Ichigo came walking back up. "…um, do any of you know what happened to that small black bag I had in the back?" He asked.

"You mean the one with the red plus sign on it?" Renji asked as he stuck his head out of the tent. Seeing Ichigo nod, he continued. "I think Byakuya tossed it out when we were loading up our things."

All eyes turned to glare at the squad captain, and Byakuya shrugged. "It was in the way. And for the record, I didn't toss it out, it fell out. I just never bothered to put it back."

"You idiot! Now I'm going to bleed to death!" Ishida wailed.

Ichigo shook his head at the drama before tearing a small piece of cloth from a dishtowel. Wrapping it around Ishida's finger, he tied it tightly. "There, now shut up." Plopping down in a chair, Ichigo rubbed his forehead and took several deep, calming breaths. It didn't help, but at least he tried. Rolling his eyes as he watched Ishida being coddled by the girls, he decided that now would be a good time to set up the kitchen area. Everyone else was sitting around the fire pit so hopefully there wouldn't be any more incidents.

Taking the lid off the box of dishes, Ichigo pulled out two pans and set them on the stove. Lifting out the plates, he frowned. "So that's why the box was so light." He grumbled. "There are no lids for the pans, no hot pads and we don't even have any bowls!" Tearing at his hair, Ichigo nearly screamed in frustration. "Where the hell did all the dishes go?!"

"Oh, your dad mentioned something about needing clean dishes for lunch so I had him use those." Rukia said, looking up from her spot next to Ishida. "They were just sitting there so I figured it would be ok."

Ichigo opened his mouth to yell, but changed his mind since it would be pointless. "Whatever, I guess we'll just have to make do with what we have." Dropping the lid back on the box, he started to head towards the fire pit to make a fire, but realized that Ishida hadn't actually come back with any firewood. "I'll be back; I have to go get some wood for the fire." He said, though no one seemed to hear him as they were all engaged in conversations. Ishida was discussing some form of weapon with Rukia, Chad and Inoue were talking about an exam and Byakuya was giving Renji orders for when they arrived back in Soul Society. Shaking his head, Ichigo walked off into the woods.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Bleach or anything affiliated with said show.

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

* * *

When Ichigo returned 10 minutes later, the rest of the group were still sitting around chatting. Well everyone except Ishida, he looked to be sewing something. Dropping his load of wood by the fire pit, Ichigo glanced at his watch. "Ok you guys, it's time to start dinner so who wants to cook?" He asked.

Rukia jumped up quickly. "I'll do it." She said with a smile.

Since no one else volunteered, and he really didn't want to have to do it, Ichigo nodded. "Sure, go ahead. The pans are already on the stove, the water's in the jug on the ground next to it and the food is in those bags."

"Got it." Rukia said as she walked over to start dinner.

Getting on his knees, Ichigo stacked the firewood in the pit and stuffed paper underneath it. Tearing some small pieces from a branch he'd brought back, he sprinkled the smaller pieces around the paper. Standing up and dusting off his jeans, Ichigo headed over to grab the matches he'd left by the stove. "What are you doing?" He asked Rukia, as she stared intently at the small pot that was resting on the stove. "You're supposed to be making dinner, not dozing off."

"I am making dinner." Rukia said, her eyes never leaving the pan. "But I have to wait for the water to boil first."

"Then you should probably stop staring at the pan." Ichigo said as he picked up the book of matches Rukia had dropped on the box of dishes. "Haven't you ever heard the saying 'a watched pot never boils'?" When Rukia's eyes widened, he shook his head. "Just finish dinner so everyone can eat." He said as he walked over to start the fire.

"A watched pot never boils huh." Rukia muttered quietly. "We'll see about that." Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. "Hey Renji." She said, still focused on the pan in front of her.

"Um, what are you doing?" Renji asked, when he realized that Rukia wasn't going to look away from the now steaming water.

"I'm waiting for the water to boil." Rukia replied "Ichigo said it won't boil if you watch it and I'm going to prove him wrong."

Always being up for a challenge, Renji plopped down beside her. "Sounds like fun, I'll help too."

Byakuya rolled his eyes at his sister and vice captain's stupidity as he relaxed in his chair. Only to start choking a few seconds later as the smoke from the newly started fire blew towards him. Throwing a glare at the substitute shinigami, he picked up his chair and moved over towards the tent.

Ishida looked up from his sewing when Inoue sat down next to him. "Hello." He said politely.

"Hi." Inoue said in return. "What are you making?" She asked after several minutes of silence.

"Pot holders." Ishida said with a small smile as he held up the frilly pink mitts. "I heard Ichigo say he forgot them, so I made some."

"That was sweet." Inoue said. "And they're so cute too."

Upon hearing the word 'cute', Rukia immediately turned to look at the pair. "What's cute?" She asked curiously, and then she saw the oven mitts. "Adorable!" She gushed, causing Renji to look at her strangely.

Just then, Ichigo walked over to the stove and smirked. "Hey Rukia, your water's boiling."

Whipping around, Renji and Rukia frowned as they watched the water bubble.

"But we only looked away for a second." Rukia whined. "How is that possible?"

"Who cares, just start dinner already." Ichigo said. "I'd like to be able to eat sometime tonight."

Scowling at the water, Rukia dumped in the noodles and let them cook. "Stupid water." She mumbled in annoyance.

15 minutes later, the spaghetti was done and the seven campers all sat down to eat.

"This is actually pretty good." Renji said between bites. "I'm surprised you know how to cook."

Glaring at the tattooed shinigami, Rukia huffed. "Of course I know how to cook."

"Just not very well." Ichigo said with a smirk. "Most things she cooks end up inedible, this is one of the few things she can make without burning it."

With a growl, Rukia jumped up and was about to punch Ichigo when it suddenly began to pour. "Yikes!" She screamed, putting her plate above her head to prevent some of the water from hitting her.

"I'm getting soaked!" Inoue cried, ducking under a branch for some cover.

As the rain continued to fall everyone dropped their plates and found whatever they could to hide under. Ishida and Chad stepped under the rain fly of the tent, Rukia joined Inoue under her branch, Ichigo and Renji moved next to another tree and Byakuya pulled open the back of the van and hid there.

"It's just a small summer shower, it should be over soon." Ichigo told his friends as he shook some water off his head. "They usually only last a few minutes." As he finished, the rain began to die down and soon it was barely even sprinkling. Stepping out from the tree, Ichigo smiled. "See, what did I tell you."

"It might be over, but I'm still soaked." Rukia whined.

"Yeah, me too." Inoue added, wringing out the bottom of her shirt.

Glancing over at the fire, which was miraculously still burning, Ichigo nodded to himself. "Not to worry, we'll just string a line up next to the fire and dry out our clothes."

"There is no way I'm getting undressed around you guys." Rukia said quickly.

Slapping his forehead, Ichigo sighed in irritation. "That's not what I meant." He said. "Go and change into your pajamas and bring your clothes back out here to dry." Seeing the girls nod, he headed towards the tent with Chad. "Is it just me or does this trip really suck?" He asked his friend.

"I'm sure it will get better." Chad replied as they climbed inside the tent to change.

Several minutes later they all found themselves once again sitting around the fire while Ichigo and Renji hung the wet clothes up to dry. Putting up the last shirt, Ichigo sat back down in his chair and stretched. "Ok, I'm officially exhausted now." He muttered softly. "This has been a really long day." Watching Inoue as she showed Rukia how to roast a marshmallow, he yawned tiredly. "I think I'm going to head to bed now." He told his friends. Standing up, he waved and headed towards the tent to get some sleep. Pausing, he turned back to face the fire. "Hey you guys don't forget to keep an eye on the fire, and remember to put it out completely before you go to sleep." Seeing Chad nod, he yawned once more and climbed inside the tent.

A half hour later, Byakuya and Chad decided that they'd had enough and headed to the tent as well. Ishida followed soon after when Rukia accidentally burned his finger while she was waving her burning marshmallow around.

A little while later, after eating her 12th smore, Inoue yawned and stretched. "I think I'll head to bed now too." She said with another yawn.

"I'll join you." Rukia said, dropping her stick on the ground and following the long haired girl to the van. "If I eat another marshmallow I'll be sick."

Renji looked up from poking at the small fire and watched as the two girls walked away. "Goodnight." He called after them. When they waved, he went back to poking at the coals until suddenly realizing that he was all alone. "Well, I guess I should go to bed too. It's boring when no one else is around." He said as he stood up and threw his stick into the pit. Glancing around the campsite, he had an odd feeling that he was forgetting something, but quickly brushed it off. "I'm sure I'm just imagining it." With a shrug, he climbed inside the tent and went to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Bleach or anything affiliated with said show.

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

* * *

The next morning Ichigo opened up the tent and yawned as he climbed out, taking a deep breath of the crisp air. He then promptly began to cough and choke as smoke and ash filled his lungs. Waving a hand in front of his face, he glanced over to the fire and his eyes widened. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" He yelled as he stared at the burning pile of clothes that now littered the ground.

Hearing the scream, Rukia and Inoue came tumbling out of the van and fell to a heap on the ground. "Someone had better be dying!" Rukia growled as she stood up and brushed herself off. Placing her hands on her hips, she was just about to yell at Ichigo for waking her up when Inoue gasped.

"Oh no, our clothes are all ruined!" Inoue cried. Running over to the smoldering clothes, she dropped to her knees and gently picked up her shirt. "I loved this shirt, it was my favorite."

Eyes widening, Rukia glared at Ichigo. "Just what did you do to our clothes?" She asked angrily.

"I didn't do anything." Ichigo replied defensively. "I woke up and that's how they were."

Just then Renji, Chad and Ishida came stumbling out of the tent. Byakuya chose to remain in bed. As their eyes wandered over the mess that was their clothes, several things happened at once. Chad shook his head and ducked back inside the tent, he had extra clothes so who cares, Ishida joined Inoue and the two proceeded to mourn the loss of their favorite outfits, and Renji began to whistle as he tried to sneak away.

"So it was you Renji." Ichigo said suddenly. "I thought so."

Narrowing her eyes, Rukia stalked over to Renji. "Just what did you do you idiot?" She asked, clenching her fists in anger.

Renji glanced around, scratching the back of his head nervously. "…um, well…I might have forgotten to make sure the fire was completely out." He muttered quietly. Seeing Rukia's glare, he whimpered in fear. "Please don't kill me."

"Oh, death would be too good for you." Rukia bit out as she approached the cowering man. "But I'm sure you'll wish for it before I'm through with you."

Turning back towards the fire as Rukia proceeded to beat Renji senseless, Ichigo shook his head and sighed. "Well, let's get this stuff picked up and eat some breakfast. Then we can pack up and head home." Picking up his newly destroyed shirt, he grabbed a bag from the kitchen stuff and shoved it inside. Holding it open, he watched as everyone did the same.

Once the clothes were picked up, Ichigo handed everyone except the now unconscious Renji a breakfast bar since they didn't have bowls for cereal, and they ate in total silence. Tossing his wrapper in the trash, Ichigo walked over to the stove and started to take it apart. "When you guys are finished, help me take everything down. I think it's time to head back."

"I agree." Ishida said as he stood up and walked over to the tent. "I've had enough camping to last a lifetime." Climbing inside, he began to pack up the bags.

While Ishida dealt with the tent, Chad took it upon himself to put the seats back in the van. Once he was finished, the girls began to haul all the bags over and he started packing everything in. By the time Ichigo finished with the kitchen area, the rest of the campsite had already been torn down and was mostly packed up. Grabbing the stove, he walked it over and shoved it into the back of the van.

"Well I think that's everything." Inoue said, far too cheerfully.

"Yep, we got the chairs and all the bags." Rukia said. "Ichigo got all that cooking stuff and Ishida packed up the tent."

"If that's the case, then let's go." Ichigo said, waving his hand towards the van.

Rukia and Inoue got in the back once again and Ishida sat in the middle next to Byakuya. As Ichigo climbed in the driver's seat, Chad headed around to the front of the van and picked up Renji's body. Tossing him in the back with Ishida and Byakuya, he climbed into the passenger seat next to Ichigo.

Taking one last quick look around the campsite, Ichigo put the keys in the ignition and started up the vehicle. "Ok, let's go home you guys." He said, putting the van in drive and pulling out of the campsite.

ooooo

They made it back to Ichigo's house in less than 2 hours since Chad decided to handle the maps. Parking the van, Ichigo tossed open the door and walked towards his house, not even bothering to unload. The minute he opened the door, Kon came flying at him and Ichigo snatched him out of the air. Holding the stuffed lion up to his face, he growled. "I'm not in the mood to listen to your whining, get lost." Tossing him up in the air, he kicked him as hard as he could. Smiling slightly since he felt a little better, Ichigo walked inside and plopped down at the kitchen table.

Back outside, the rest of the group was unloading their things and after saying goodbye, they all went their separate ways. Renji and Byakuya went through a gate back to Soul Society, Byakuya informing Renji of the punishment he would be receiving the minute they returned. And Chad, Inoue and Ishida began their walk home.

Rukia waved as she watched Inoue disappear around a corner, and after grabbing her bag she turned to head into the house. Raising an eyebrow at Kon, who was currently stuck inside a hole in a tree, she shrugged and opened Ichigo's front door and walked inside. Seeing the teen collapsed at the table, she went to join him. "Don't feel too bad, the trip was actually kinda fun…if you ignore all the bad parts of course." Rukia said with a smile.

"Why would I feel bad?" Ichigo asked in annoyance. "If it wasn't for you guys, my trip would've been great. But nooo, I had to be nice and offer to bring you idiots along. That's the last time I make that mistake." Standing up, he continued to grumble as he headed upstairs to his room.

Dumping her bag on the table, a yellow thing sticking out of the side caught Rukia's attention. Pulling out the book, she shook her head. "I forgot all about this thing." She said as she flipped through a few pages. "But I doubt it would've come in handy anyway. That's the last time I listen to the store clerk." Tossing the book over her shoulder, Rukia stood up and started up the stairs.

A small breeze blew in through the kitchen and the book on the floor flipped open. When the wind died down the pages of the book fluttered to a stop, landing on a page near the back that only had a few lines on it. It read:

Important: Camping tips for Dummies

1.) Know where you're going and how to get there and back.

2.) Double-check to make sure you have everything before you leave.

3.) Be prepared for all kinds of weather.

4.) Practice fire safety.

5.) Make sure all campers know tips 1-4 _before_ they go camping.

It will make things much easier.


End file.
